


The Chase

by ILikeShorts



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Athletes, Competition, Crushes, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Humor, One Shot, Pokemon Gym Leaders, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ILikeShorts/pseuds/ILikeShorts
Summary: There's not much Korrina can't handle. Rock climbing? No sweat. Cliff jumping? No fear. Racing through Victory Road in an evening gown? No limit. But that feeling she gets when she's with Grant? No comment.
Relationships: Corni | Korrina/Zakuro | Grant
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	The Chase

Grant hadn't been expecting Korrina when she walked into his gym, sizing up his rock wall like an opponent she couldn't wait to take down.

"Nice setup." She tossed back her ponytail with a carefree flick of the wrist. "I'll race you to the top."

"Do you climb?" As far as he knew, she didn't.

"Not yet," she said, undeterred. "But I could get into it."

There really was no contest. He'd conquered this wall hundreds of times. He could do it with his eyes closed.

But as he did it watching Korrina over his shoulder, he had to give her some credit. She was agile. Definitely athletic. She moved without hesitation. She didn't look down.

If he was being honest, some of his trainers could learn a thing or two.

"Not bad for a beginner," he acknowledged, when she arrived at the summit.

"You win." She shook his hand, a show of strength as much as sportsmanship. "For now."

* * *

Korrina gazed out at the Cyllage landscape, with its rocky bluffs and rolling seas. She'd been blading in the area, and had idly wondered what Grant was up to.

She'd been wondering what Grant was up to a lot lately.

Sure enough, she spotted him on the bike path, coming down from a difficult series of jumps.

"Grant!" She skated up beside him. "How about another race?"

They weren't exactly evenly matched. Everyone knew bikes went faster than blades. Grant had a whole range of gears to help him out.

But Korrina never shied away from a challenge.

"You want a head start? Make this a fair fight?" He grinned at her. There was something about it.

"Nah." She stuck out her tongue. "Don't need one."

And they were off.

Grant took an early lead, pedaling at a blistering pace. She skated as hard as she could behind him, muscles straining with exertion.

He had the advantage in speed. But the turns were a different matter, and when the path met water and she adjusted her step, there wasn't much he could do but ride on.

At long last, she was gaining ground.

As she came to the final descent, she caught sight of Grant ahead of her, negotiating his bike expertly down the cliffside. Did she dare?

She jumped.

Time almost stood still. Bending her knees, she braced herself for the landing, and tumbled over the finish line mere moments before him.

She'd won.

"Bold move, Korrina." Grant dismounted his bike, extending a hand to help her up.

With it came a feeling she didn't recognize. "I know." She beamed at him. "You should try it sometime."

* * *

Like a lot of things in Kalos, Grant mused, the annual League soirée had a certain formality that wasn't for everyone.

Some of the leaders embraced it. Valerie, always the height of fashion, arrived each year in an ensemble carefully crafted to grace best-dressed pages throughout the region.

But it wasn't the most exciting event in the world. Others just came for the food.

Grant paused by a lavish display of éclairs. He reached for one, then rethought it. He was an athlete, after all.

"Do it." Korrina was at his side. She'd already grabbed two herself. "You want to. I can see it in your face."

Chuckling, he gave in. It didn't hurt to let go every now and then.

Korrina, he'd heard from Viola, had politely turned down Valerie's offer to design her dress and chosen something off the rack on a last-minute whim. She wore a long sheath of blue-green silk. It suited her well.

But not as much as rollerblades.

"Hey, Grant." She leaned in, her voice alive with mischief. "Are you bored?"

He surveyed the comparatively dead room. "I think most of us are."

"Because I'm bored. And Victory Road is, like, right here. Race me?"

"Have you been _drinking_?"

"Nope." She set down the full glass of wine she'd been ignoring. "Tried a sip. Not my thing. Tastes bad."

"You want to race." He motioned to her decidedly unathletic apparel. "In that."

Korrina seemed to think for a moment. "Don't move."

And she was gone. He watched with curiosity as she disappeared into the kitchen behind a group of caterers.

"How's it going?" Viola approached, wine and hors d'oeuvres in hand.

Grant really wasn't sure. "I may or may not have agreed to a race."

Moments later, Korrina returned, her gown slashed to mid-thigh. He couldn't help but stare. For a multitude of reasons.

"They had a knife," she said matter-of-factly, as though that somehow explained it all.

Viola elbowed him in the ribs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Valerie looking on with a mixture of relief and horror.

"Well?" Korrina flashed him a playful grin, stepping out of her heels and breaking into a run. "Catch me if you can!"

Viola gaped at him. "You're not seriously going to—"

He threw her his suit jacket. "Hold this."

And with that, he took off toward the door, following Korrina's laughter out of the soirée and into the evening.

* * *

Victory Road was a test even with a full team of Pokémon. To go it alone was madness, most would say.

But Grant and Korrina weren't like most people.

She took the steps two at a time. Three, once she heard him approaching. She'd always been a fast runner. She'd know if he ran faster in a minute.

Then came the water. With no room for hesitation, she flung herself in, the cold hitting her like daggers. Or maybe that was the Basculin. She tried not to think about it.

Confronted with a rocky labyrinth, Korrina forged ahead from one dead end to the next, cursing silently as Grant scaled a boulder and escaped the maze altogether. Well, she could do better. She kicked it to bits.

 _Ouch_. That sort of thing was easier with shoes on.

She caught up to witness Grant's strength firsthand as he wrestled himself from a wild Graveler's grip. The Pokémon were fierce, but the finish was in sight, past the foot of a raging waterfall.

When she dove down into the blue, so did he. He'd learned her tricks. He had to realize he'd lose if he climbed it.

They emerged from the cavern neck and neck.

"Who won?" she gasped out, collapsing onto the grass.

"I'd say we both did." He let his body fall beside her, chest heaving with rapid breaths.

"Deal." She was finding it hard to catch hers, as she eyed his physique through his soaking wet shirt.

For purely competitive reasons, she told herself.

"Well played, Korrina." He high-fived her, once they'd recovered. "That was some race."

She met his gaze with a grin. "Most fun I've ever had at the League soirée."

"I guess that's it for the soirée." His tone was light, like he cared no more than she did. "We can't go back there like this."

Korrina glanced up at Grant covered in mud and down at the state of her dress. "We'd look ridiculous." She laughed, raking a hand through her now-tangled hair.

He brushed a loose strand from her face. "You look beautiful."

She didn't think. She just kissed him.

Then she didn't know _what_ to do.

So she did what she knew best.

She ran.

* * *

Korrina wasn't answering her phone. He'd called. He'd texted. He'd even sent a Fletchling, on the off chance that the Holo Caster network was down.

Grant was no idiot. He could take a hint. But she was the one who'd kept showing up in Cyllage unannounced.

 _She_ was the one who'd kissed _him_.

So he'd followed her example and biked to her gym, only to be told that Lady Korrina wasn't there. She was training at the Tower of Mastery, they'd said. She often did. Sometimes not for long. This time for days.

The tower stood before him now, more imposing than ever. He swallowed all his pride and went in.

He didn't get very far.

"Only those who have been approved may pass." A guard blocked the path upward.

He cleared his throat. "I'm a friend of Lady Korrina."

"Only those—"

"And I'm a Gym Leader."

The guard didn't budge. "I take it you haven't been approved."

"No." Grant had other ideas. "But I will be."

Good thing he knew how to climb.

* * *

The Tower of Mastery was a special place. Its powers knew no bounds. When Korrina trained there, her fears seemed to vanish, and she felt like she could do anything.

Well, it had been three days now, and the tower wasn't working.

"Lady Korrina?" A guard roused her from her thoughts. "A rather urgent matter…"

"What is it?"

"There's a man climbing the tower. I don't believe he's been approved."

She sighed and headed for the stairs. What were guards for, anyway?

"No." The guard pointed outside. "Literally climbing the tower."

_Grant._

This was not happening.

* * *

The tower was tall. Dauntingly tall. And it didn't have much to hold on to.

In spite of the danger, Grant smiled to himself. This was the most thrilling climb he'd embarked on in a while. He wedged his feet between the stones, reminding himself, as always, not to look down.

When he glanced up, there she was.

He never thought he'd see Korrina afraid.

* * *

"Grant!" she shouted over the tower's edge, her throat tight with apprehension.

He waved back at her nonchalantly, even as his grip seemed to slacken.

 _No._ Not okay. What was he thinking, letting go of the wall? It was reckless. Stupid of him. She'd have Grant banned from here all year. Maybe forever. 

After what felt like forever in itself, he reached the top and mounted the balcony in one triumphant motion.

Korrina wasn't impressed. "Are you _insane?_ What if you fell?"

"I know," he echoed her earlier words with a smirk. "You should try it sometime."

She kept her arms crossed. "It isn't funny."

At that, he seemed to relent. "Don't worry. I had an Archeops waiting in the wings just in case."

"I _did_ worry!" Had he thought about that? And _anyway_. "You're not supposed to be up here."

"I don't have Lady Korrina's approval?" 

She cracked a smile. "Technically no."

"What else could I do?" Grant shrugged. "You weren't returning my calls."

And then she remembered. _Everything_.

"Right." She made a break for the stairs, before panic got the best of her. "I've gotta run. Nice seeing you. Nice… climbing."

"Then go." Grant's voice hit her like a dropkick. "But I'm not running after you this time."

Korrina looked over her shoulder. He hadn't moved an inch.

"I don't do this, okay?" She slumped to the floor, the doubts she'd tried so hard to quiet rising up inside. "I just don't."

He was by her in an instant. "Do what?" 

"This!" Emotions swirling, Butterfree in her stomach, struggling to collect her thoughts. It wasn't her. "I train. I skate. I battle. I don't… kiss." Her heart leapt at the memory. What was _wrong_ with it?

"You can kiss. Believe me."

"I don't _feel_ like this." That nervous yet excited sensation as he sat so close to her. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."

She braced herself for Grant's reaction, fists clenched at her sides. She hoped he wouldn't laugh.

He didn't.

"You'll figure it out." He placed a hand on hers in understanding, rough from the climb but soft in its touch. "When you do, come find me."

A wave of relief washed over her, only to fade to regret as he got up to leave. "Are we good?"

He nodded. "We're good."

Then what was that longing in the corner of her mind telling her to stop him at once?

"Wait." She rose to face Grant, and the Butterfree wings beat harder still from within.

But Korrina _never_ shied away from a challenge.

She tossed back her ponytail, summoning as much courage as she could muster. "Kiss me."

Grant studied her with confusion. "But you said—"

"Well? Do you wanna help me figure this out or not?"

He did, she discovered, as he took her in his arms and brought his lips to hers and all the doubts and fears and Butterfree met defeat. He really, _really_ did.

"Race you down the tower?" he offered, when they'd parted.

"You bet."

This, Korrina decided, was a feeling she could imagine herself getting used to.

Which was quickly replaced by horror as he started toward the balcony.

" _Grant!_ I meant the stairs!"


End file.
